Product category:
Communications ICs (Wired)
News Release from: Agere Systems
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 14 July 2004
IEEE802.11n proposal promises 500Mbit/s
A new baseline wireless networking specification proposes ultrafast data streams for wireless HDTV transmissions as well as high-density user environments for corporate and retail wireless networks.
Agere Systems is supporting a baseline wireless networking specification that establishes ultrafast data streams for wireless HDTV transmissions as well as high-density user environments for corporate and retail wireless networks This proposal defines the next generation of wireless networking referred to as the IEEE802.11n protocol to deliver a raw datarate of 500Mbit/s, roughly 10 times faster than today's wireless LANs
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 8 Mar 2007 at 8.00am (UK)
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Target applications for the 802.11n standard fall into two basic groups: those requiring high-speed data transmissions plus strong quality of service (QoS), and those that need the equivalent of wired network performance for such high-density environments as a large enterprise or apartment complex.
Agere's proposal, to be submitted to the IEEE this summer, incorporates continued innovations in multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) techniques, as well as wide bandwidth channels, 5GHz transmissions and numerous operating modes to ensure robust data throughput, increased network capacity and legacy protocol compatibility.
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In 2002, Agere gave the public its first glimpse of high-datarate technology by demonstrating a 3x3 (three transmitter/three receiver) MIMO system supporting 162Mbit/s wireless networking speeds.
These techniques will help wireless networking products surpass today's Ethernet LAN speeds.
Although mandatory implementations for the proposed specification support 250Mbit/s, provisions would allow transmission speeds approaching 500Mbit/s.
"With this proposal, Agere is helping to define a standard for true wire replacement in any PC, enterprise or mobile application", said Stan Swearingen, Vice President of Agere's Computing Connectivity Division.
"Successful adoption of the new 802.11n standard requires flexible support for new technologies like HDTV, for operating environments including any home, office or hotspot, and for existing wireless protocols in place today".
Agere's 802.11n submission focuses on two techniques to drive higher datarates and spectral efficiency: MIMO and wide channel bandwidths.
MIMO is a technique that increases data throughput on a single channel by creating more "air paths" for the data to be transmitted.
Using multiple transmit and receive antennas, each path can carry a different set of data at the same frequency.
MIMO improves network capacity by increasing the speed by which transmissions are sent, freeing up time for additional transmissions.
Using MIMO to increase datarates also avoids the use of more complex modulation schemes that reduce the range and robustness of a WLAN solution.
The proposal supports both 20 and 40MHz channel widths, allowing for worldwide operation and increased data capacity.
The 40MHz channels, consisting of two adjacent 20MHz channels, will more than double today's 54Mbit/s datarates to approximately 125Mbit/s per transmission.
This is accomplished by capitalising on the unused quad band found between two channels.
Data throughput increases proportionally to the number of antennas, and Agere's proposal calls for a minimum of two antennas at each transmitter and receiver, with a maximum of four.
A 2x2 antenna MIMO configuration coupled with wider channel bandwidths enables a 250Mbit/s datarate.
A 4x4 configuration can enable data rates approaching 500Mbit/s, optimised for backhaul pipes in large retail stores, for example, to wirelessly link multiple access points together.
Other key specifications include operation in 5 GHz spectrum.
With 440MHz of bandwidth available in the 5GHz frequency spectrum, 802.11n networks will benefit from having up to 11 available 40MHz channels, compared with only two available wide-bandwidth channels in the 2.4GHz band.
This additional capacity affords greater opportunities for increased wireless services, such as offering a competitive selection of network operators in a given hotspot, facilitating high-speed connectivity to multiple apartments or offices, and delivering high-speed streaming video over dedicated channels.
Wi-Fi connectivity at 5GHz is also a favourable alternative to the more congested 2.4GHz frequency band, which is already home to multiple wireless devices and applications, including cordless phones, microwave ovens, baby monitors and Bluetooth-based products.
Agere is committed to supporting new and existing operating environments for wireless networking.
Although this baseline specification focuses on 40MHz channels in the 5GHz band, it also supports 20MHz channels and 2.4GHz frequency use.
This provides 802.11n systems with a path for backward compatibility with 802.11b, a and g networks, as well as compliance with the 20MHz channel requirement for wireless LANs in Japan.
This specification would also fully support the 802.11e QoS standard being finalised this year for Wi-Fi networks.
The proposal specifies a standardised frame aggregation for both single and multiple destinations to improve network efficiency and interoperability.
Frame aggregation - which merges several frames together in a single packet - is important for streaming applications including wireless voice over IP and multimedia content.
The 802.11n specification is expected to be finalised by the IEEE in 2006.
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